South Africa: The settlers and what came after

South Africa: The settlers and what came after

Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times

This one is for thinking rather than smiling. The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria is a boxy, looming granite homage to the 19th century white pioneers who spread Afrikaner culture in South Africa. In the bad old days, many considered it the great temple of apartheid. Its strict geometry and scowling figures may give you the willies, as they did me. But sometimes, to begin figuring out a place, you need to feel the willies. After apartheid fell at last and Nelson Mandela rose to the presidency in the 1990s, the government could have leveled the monument. Instead Mandela let it stand as a reminder of the country's thorny history. Shot in 2010. Read more: South Africa: On the ball between matches

This one is for thinking rather than smiling. The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria is a boxy, looming granite homage to the 19th century white pioneers who spread Afrikaner culture in South Africa. In the bad old days, many considered it the great temple of apartheid. Its strict geometry and scowling figures may give you the willies, as they did me. But sometimes, to begin figuring out a place, you need to feel the willies. After apartheid fell at last and Nelson Mandela rose to the presidency in the 1990s, the government could have leveled the monument. Instead Mandela let it stand as a reminder of the country's thorny history. Shot in 2010. Read more: South Africa: On the ball between matches (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

This one is for thinking rather than smiling. The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria is a boxy, looming granite homage to the 19th century white pioneers who spread Afrikaner culture in South Africa. In the bad old days, many considered it the great temple of apartheid. Its strict geometry and scowling figures may give you the willies, as they did me. But sometimes, to begin figuring out a place, you need to feel the willies. After apartheid fell at last and Nelson Mandela rose to the presidency in the 1990s, the government could have leveled the monument. Instead Mandela let it stand as a reminder of the country's thorny history. Shot in 2010. Read more: South Africa: On the ball between matches